Because it was too long to post as a comment on Poodlemama's journal.

So poodlemama posted this meme... my response wouldnt fit in the comments... so here it is... if anyone wants to do it, i'll post the questions separately.

1. Can you cook? Yes, but I choose not to at every available opportunity. I used to make a kick-arse pavlova, but stopped because it wasnt cool to leave a floor level oven chocked open on low for 8 hours, with babies about. My daughter #1 told me once "you never made a pavlova in your life"... in fact, i have never made one in HER life :P

2. What was your dream growing up? a) to be renee geyer or someone just like her; b) to be cherry curry from the runaways or someone just like her; c) to be a drummer in a rock band; d) to be a photographer (think annie lebowitz or robert maplethorpe)... there were others lol - i was not a child without a dream

3. What talent do you wish you had? the ability to make dreams come true :P

4. Favorite place? Motueka, top of the south island of new zealand... it has almost everything - mountains, tidal ocean with yellow marble sand, a fast flowing river, fertile valleys were the hops for steinlager beer (and kiwi fruits, and before that tobacco) are grown... and the BEST cafe with the BEST seafood chowder and chai.

5. Favorite vegetable? you name it... i'm currently looking for instructions for making gumbo (with okra) if anyone knows the REAL way... i love cucumber and capsicum (bell peppers) and eggplant (aubergine) and real home grown, sun ripened tomatoes and broccoli and rocket. i love rocket. and salsify - just because i think it's name sounds like a gospel singers exclamation haha

6. What was the last book you read? the good german - i bought it at adelaide airport and started it on the plane this afternoon... before that - buddhism for busy people and before that, 5 minute meditations... (hmmm seems to be a theme there)

7. What zodiac sign are you? virgo... i love lists.

8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? my ears were pierced - babies pull on earrings... i stopped wearing them... ears closed up.. at some stage i got them re-pierced (or they opened on their own again, i cant remember) but i got bored and let them close up again. No tattoos... i'm still trying to decide what would look good on me at 90 - it's not that far away. Perhaps 'Lior' strategically placed somewhere....

10. Do we know each other outside of Livejournal? no, but we may have been in the same place at the same time before.

11. What is your favorite sport? well i like watching the all-blacks play rugby... i like hiking, but not sure if that's a sport, and i like internet backgammon... if that counts. oh and pool... new zealand pub rules :)

12. Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude? depends what day it is... i think i'm generally positive, but i feel pessimistic about some things - like the existance of the right kind of man, for example.

13. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me? recite poetry or sing you a song. i'd already probably be talking to you, because thats what i do when i get into elevators with strangers... so being stuck, and that being stressful, i would hope to alleviate the tension by doing something unexpected... that might weird you out tho...

14. Worst thing to ever happen to you? depends what day it is - my dad committed suicide when i was 12 - that was the worst thing to ever happen to him... there are others - breaches of trust, betrayal and such...

15. Tell me one weird fact about you. haha you mean the stuff above doesnt count? I am able to recognise members of my family by their eyes - having not seen them since they were children. I have the same eyes, my children have the same eyes, and so do almost all other members of my family (on my dad's side).

16. Do you have any pets? a dog, some fish

17. Do you know how to do the Macarena? i did, but i forgot... song lyrics i store for ever... dances come and go.18. What time is it where you are now? 9.16pm (western australian daylight savings time)

19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary? well i used to think there was only one answer to that... i've only ever seen clowns as funny (except for one sinister one on a tv show once that creeped me out) but now i know some people are scared of them.

20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be? my age... when i was young and beautiful, i had no idea.

21. Would you be my partner in crime or my conscience? haha probably both - i'd be there for the crime, but i'd be thinking better of it almost immediately and worrying we would get sprung, and trying to put it all back the way it was hahaha

22. What color eyes do you have? blue. particularly blue.

23. Ever been arrested? no (see q. 21 above)

24. Bottle or Draft? well, i think jack daniels pretty much only comes in bottles, but if you're talking beer, well i currently LOVE coopers pale ale, and in WA that seems to pretty much only come in bottles, but in South Australia, where i've just been (and at womadelaide in particular, it comes on tap... and THAT is just heaven on a stick (or actually in a 100% biodegradeable plasticky cup)

25. If you won $10,000 dollars today, what would you do with it? hahahah i'd think about all the great things i could do with it, and then i'd spend tomorrow incredulously wondering how i got rid of it so fast.

i'd have a lot of fun with it - i'd take my kids on holiday to new zealand or somewhere else i want to share with them, and we'd eat out at great places and go to great concerts and meet interesting people - there gone already and some.

26. What kind of bubble gum do you prefer to chew? bubble gum flavoured - the kind that comes in big candy-coated balls. not really into bubblegum these days tho... got old and grumpy and cant see the point.

27. What's your favorite bar to hang at? the one between stages 1 and 2 at womadelaide... and when that's not available, The Queens, in Mt Lawley... it's close to home and they have great food and intermittent misters on hot days, and lots of great beer on tap (not coopers pale ale tho).

28. Do you believe in ghosts? absolutely - is there another potential answer?

29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time? nothing. really - absolutely nothing... or else travelling or doing something with music - performing or listening or going to festivals or whatever... oh, or hiking through random bush. that i pretty especially like.

30. Do you swear a lot? fuck yeah.

31. Biggest pet peeve? today it is the horrible scrapey noise that people make with their chairs when they sit down in places like restaurants/cafes... but that's because it's happened alot and they seem to not even notice they are doing it... and places that serve tea in cups with a tea bag when a pot would be so much more civilised... that is all today.

32. In one word, how would you describe yourself? pedantic

33. In one word, how would you describe me? cool.

34. Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you? yep.. daughter #1 wants to do one too. thanks for posting it :)